The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
It shouldn’t have been that close.
A man who failed to condemn white supremacy and showed no regard to the inhumane treatment towards migrant children or people of color. A man whose hands were stained with lost Americans’ lives due to his poor action during this pandemic. A man who tended to spew lies dangerously and had a history of fraud. Indeed, a country that prides itself as a global leader and defender of democracy and human rights would come to its senses and realize that the Trump Era needed to end, right?
But as John Pavlovitz had too realized, we were wrong about America.
70,831,096 voters were okay with the bigotry and racism the Trump administration had openly embraced- willing to turn a blind eye to homophobia, racism, sexual assault, misogyny, fascism and xenophobia. 70,831,096 voters did not care about the stain Donald Trump had placed on The White House and this country’s democracy. 70,831,096 voters had, once again, held onto some twisted narrative that Donald Trump would Make America Great Again.
But what Donald Trump had truly done was further divide a nation- empowering people to shamelessly embrace and parade hostility, racism, sexism, xenophobia, etc.
During his four years of presidency, Donald Trump has managed to convince his following that he is what this country needs. That he is this nation’s beacon of truth, while everyone else has dedicated to deceiving the American public.
The 2020 Presidential Election had a lot more on the ballot than just differing political ideologies. Fundamental human rights and this country and planet’s future were on the line.
And the results were bittersweet.
It made me question the values and beliefs of many people who were willing to overlook and condone Donald Trump’s behavior. For be it whatever reason, 70,831,096 people decided to prioritize ____ at the expense of others’ rights and treatment.
But as Joe Biden was declared President-Elect, I realized that there’s still reason to have hope.
75,260,264 voters still believe in this country’s soul and voted for change, seeking equality and voting for those whose voices have been silenced far too long. 75,260,264 were willing to stand on the right side of history and uphold their pledge to this country to be “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
It shouldn’t have been close, but the results showed that love trumps hate at the end of the day.